Linya Erotika, a coloring book that likes to get kinky

March 19, 2017

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Photos by Bea Faicol

There’s no paint-by-numbers process to understanding sex and sexuality. Doing so is the result of openness, exploration, and being able to talk about it. Then again, even better if you can show it, right?

In Linya Erotika, a premium adult coloring book by artists Tokwa Peñaflorida, Kay Aranzanso, and Isobel Francisco, you can consider the intimate acts between its covers as non-intimidating diagrams for desire. “I didn’t want to limit this to a certain reader. I was surprised when [publisher PageJump] did a test run,” said Isobel when we caught up with the artists at last night’s exhibit to launch the book. “A lot of kids—mga 18 and above—were very happy with it and had so much fun coloring it.”

Similar to how the coloring books of our youth sparked imagination and allowed us a page-by-page realm to express ourselves, Linya Erotika’s refined illustrations allow us to strip the shame away from our kinks and curiosities, ask questions, and ponder the possibilities when it comes to our own pleasures. “Yung mga tao, iniisip nila bastos ako kasi kahit college, ganun na yung work ko. Pero ‘pag nakilala mo talaga ako, sobrang prude ko in person,” says Tokwa, whose images in the book bear similar themes to those in #dialZERO, an exhibition he also mounted with Kay last year. “Hindi ko siya ginagawa in real life. Sobra akong nagagandahan lang sa act.”

Spanning masturbation to domination, the book definitely offers friends both an alternative and artful way to spend a Friday night, crayons scattered and cocktails shaken. Consider it an icebreaker for hotter topics—one that’ll chip away at anyone’s lingering close-mindedness. If there’s one thing we can learn from this book, after all, it’s that coloring outside the lines is absolutely welcome.

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TEAM tackles how gay Filipino men relate their identity, from fuckups to fantasies, to where to go for music you can actually dance to. We may not have proper rights in our country but we’re claiming some authority by getting our words and ideas on page. And though we lack public places to convene, an open publication (and wide-open digital space) is a good place to start.